Not with the losses of quarterback Andrew Luck and his top three receivers, Coby Fleener, Griff Whalen and Chris Owusu.

But coaches and players expect more of themselves than the unproductive effort against Washington last week.

When the No. 18 Cardinal plays Arizona on Saturday in a Pac-12 game at Stanford Stadium the offense hopes to regain its equilibrium with an effective passing game.

"We're not going to not throw the ball," said coach David Shaw, once a Stanford receiver himself.

But he hopes redshirt junior quarterback Josh Nunes can throw it better. Shaw also wants all of his receivers to lend a hand with more catches.

If they can improve after getting shut down by Washington 17-13, it would go a long way in allowing Stanford to do what it likes best: run the football into the belly of the defense.

Shaw, for one, hasn't lost faith.

"In the last four games, I don't know if you can throw better deep balls than" Nunes has, he said.

The Southern Californian has completed 65 of 125 passes for 785 yards and four interceptions and six touchdowns. His completion rate of 52 percent ranks last in the Pac-12. So does Nunes' passer-efficiency rating of 114.2.

Nunes' favorite target has been senior tight end Zach Ertz, who had six catches for 106 yards last week. Ertz and Ty Montgomery each have 15 receptions this season while leading rusher Stepfan Taylor has 14.

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But Nunes also has shown a propensity for underthrowing open receivers in short-yardage situations. Those wayward throws and timely drops on good passes have led to stalled drives. Stanford (3-1, 1-1 Pac-12) converted just five of 18 third-down attempts and failed to score an offensive touchdown last week -- the first time that has happened since 2007.

Nunes, not known for effusiveness, simply says, "I just need to throw it better."

He said the misplays are correctable, adding the passing game is close to where it needs to be.

Cardinal coaches, though, have a long view when it comes to their vast playbook. The passing game is but one component. The team needs to sustain drives through a mix of long and short passes and power runs. When one facet is off-kilter, the offense loses its rhythm.

And it takes more than a quarterback and receiving corps to make it go. By most accounts, the young offensive line has done an admirable job with its pass protection despite three new faces.

"The offensive front is not sloppy big -- they're just big, cornfed dudes," Arizona defensive lineman Tevin Hood said. "We just have to play low, maintain a low center of gravity and hit them in the mouth."

New Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez is worried Stanford's size up front could release the full brunt of the Cardinal offense.

"For us, being a really small team and way too small defensively is a cause for concern," he told reporters. "We have to play bigger than we are if we want a chance to win."

Rodriguez particularly is worried about Stanford's height advantage with the 6-foot-6 Ertz and fellow tight end Levine Toilolo, who is 6-8 but has only eight receptions this season.

"You want your guys playing for the run game, but the pass is what has been a big key for them in the past several years," he said, forgetting for the moment the signal caller no longer is named Luck.

Now Stanford and Nunes must show they can do enough to keep defenses honest.